Yaborov House (Late 19th Century), Cherdyn', Russia

Description

This photograph of the Yaborov house in the town of Cherdyn', located in the northern part of Perm' Territory, was taken in 2000 by Dr. William Brumfield, American photographer and historian of Russian architecture, as part of the "Meeting of Frontiers" project at the Library of Congress. The Yaborov house, at No. 13 Volodarskii Street, is a good example of 19th-century Russian house construction, with a rusticated brick lower story and a wooden second level for the main living space. The thick walls of the house are punctuated with large double-glazed windows for ample natural light. The main entrance is from the side. The prosperity of the owner was reflected not only in the solid construction but also in decorative touches such as elaborate window surrounds. The house is capped with a painted, iron-hipped roof. Settled as early as the ninth century, Cherdyn' is first mentioned in the Vychega-Vym' chronicle under the year 1451. Its location in the northern Ural Mountains, near the confluence of the Vishera and Kolva rivers (tributaries of the Kama), gave it a favorable position for travel to the far north and over the Urals to Siberia. In the 17th century, Cherdyn' was overshadowed by Solikamsk to the south, yet it remained a regional trading center, as reflected in the number of its well preserved houses.